The separation of components through centrifugation is well known. For example, in the medical field it is common to subject a sample of blood to centrifugation to produce a precipitate of cellular material and a supernatant of plasma. The plasma is then decanted to complete the separation of these components.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,178,602 (Wells) and 5,047,004 (Wells) show an automated centrifuge, which includes structure for holding a centrifuge tube, after centrifugation, in a position that allows the supernatant to drain from the tube and into another container by gravity. The holding structure shown in these patents comprises a locking mechanism mounted for axial movement with respect to the axis of rotation of the centrifuge. An electromagnet that is easily controlled causes the axial movement.
It is also known to decant a supernatant by the process of centrifugal draining. According to that process, a centrifuge rotates a centrifuge tube while the tube is held in a position such that the supernatant is drained from the tube by centrifugal forces.
Fibrin sealants for treating wounds are known and are typically produced by combining a fibrinogen/Factor XIII component with bovine thrombin. When these are mixed, a fibrin tissue adhesive results, which is applied to the wound. Descriptions of compositions for use as tissue sealants are given in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,292,362 and 5,209,776 (Bass et al.). The fibrinogen is obtained from plasma, either pooled or autologous, and cryoprecipitation is one known technique for separating fibrinogen from plasma. One cryoprecipitation technique is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,318,524 and includes the centrifugation of thawing plasma to produce a precipitate containing fibrinogen/Factor XIII. Other techniques for producing fibrinogen/Factor XIII include inducing precipitation of the component by addition of such agents as Ammonium Sulfate or polyethylene glycol (PEG) to blood plasma.